The present invention pertains to a telescopic gangway for handling the passengers of single-deck or double-deck passenger airplanes parked nose in at least at one of the doors of the main deck or upper deck, which doors are located in front of, above or behind the wing.
A stationary telescopic gangway for loading and unloading airplanes parked at right angles to the airport terminal with a gangway part extending over the wing approximately in parallel to the fuselage and a plurality stairs which are arranged thereon offset by 90xc2x0 and are displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the gangway with cabins for lateral contact with the fuselage has been known from DE OS 20 57 464. The supporting structure of the gangway is suspended on stationary pylons via a complicated framework and the stairs are mounted at the free end in a height-adjustable manner and displaceably in the longitudinal direction of the supporting structure of the gangway. This gangway structure is very complicated and can be used for limited, uniform airplanes.
A so-called xe2x80x9cover-the-wingxe2x80x9d telescopic gangway has been known as well, in which the telescoping tunnel parts with the cabin arranged at the end are suspended in a height-adjustable manner and pivotably through a maximum of 30xc2x0 in a rigid support structure anchored on the apron (see Aviobridge MK-11 xe2x80x9cover-the-wingxe2x80x9d bridge, Flughafen Amsterdam Schiphol+DE OS 19 63 983).
DE 197 17 386 A1 shows a multiple telescopic gangway for embarking and disembarking passengers of jumbo jets with a gangway extension arm and a ramp gangway, which are suspended vertically displaceably on a tower or frame. In one embodiment, the gangway extension arm is suspended in two vertically displaceable support frames, wherein an inner frame is mounted on a support column rotatably around an eccentric vertical axis and an outer frame is displaceable via tangentially arranged floor rollers. However, the range of pivoting is limited to a maximum of 30xc2x0 here due to the out-of-center arrangement of the vertical axis, so that the telescopic gangway has only a limited use.
The basic object of the present invention is to provide an especially variable telescopic gangway, by means of which it is possible to handle either narrow-body airplanes at the lateral tail door or wide-body and double-deck airplanes at the door arranged behind the wing or at one of the middle doors of the upper deck or wide-body airplanes also at the door arranged in front of the wing in combination with a telescopic gangway handling exclusively the nose door.
According to the invention, a telescopic gangway for handling the passengers of single-deck or double-deck passenger airplanes parked nose in at least at one of the doors of the main deck or upper deck, in which the doors are located in front of, above or behind the wing, is provided. The gangway includes tunnel elements which are pivotable over the wing of the airplane and can be telescoped with a cabin that can be moved up to the door of the airplane. A frame surrounds the non-displaceable tunnel element. An extension arm, which is rigidly or movably fastened to the frame, on which the telescoping tunnel elements are suspended in a height-adjustable manner in the case of a rigidly fastened extension arm, are suspended in a height-adjustable manner together with the extension arm in the case of a movable extension arm. A leg is arranged at a sufficient safe distance from the wing and the engine of the parked airplane. On the leg the frame is mounted pivotably by an angle of 180xc2x0 around a vertical axis of rotation arranged centrally on the longitudinal axis of the tunnel elements.
Provisions are made according to the present invention for the part of the telescopic gangway which leads over or along the wing and comprises the extension arm and the telescoping tunnel with the cabin, which said tunnel is suspended on or is directly fastened to the extension arm, to be fastened to a frame, which surrounds the gangway tunnel and is pivotable around a central vertical axis of rotation on a leg firmly anchored on the apron in front of the wing. The gangway tunnel is rigidly connected to the frame in the horizontal pivoting direction. In addition, the cabin-side end of the telescopic gangway can be adjusted in height around a horizontal axis of rotation arranged in the area of the frame by means of lifting cylinders or other mechanical adjusting means fastened in an articulated manner either at the apron-side or terminal-side end of the extension arm.
Depending on the category of the airplanes to be handled, a short or long leg may be provided to keep the adjustment of the cabin height as small as possible. The frame may be mounted according to the present invention on a ball type rim bearing on the leg. The frame can be pivoted by up to 180xc2x0 by means of lifting cylinders acting in both directions or other adjusting means which act on bearing brackets. The gangway tunnel with the parts fastened thereto can be raised and lowered by up to 45xc2x0 in relation to the approximately horizontal apron by means of the lifting cylinders arranged at the end of the extension arm.
The weight of the part of the telescopic gangway pointing toward the airplane is preferably balanced with a counterweight fastened to the extension arm. However, the counterweight with the part of the extension arm projecting toward it may be eliminated in the case of a correspondingly flexurally rigid embodiment of the leg, the ball type rim bearing and the frame.
It has proved to be favorable for safety reasons to provide a number of distance-measuring devices or sensors or contacts, which automatically raise the parts pivoting over the wing in the case of contact and an unacceptable approach, on the underside of the parts pivoting over the wing, especially of the gangway tunnel.
The gangway structure according to the present invention may also be used especially for handling passenger ships.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated.